Zarina Wahab On 'Becoming Selective' About Working In Bollywood Ahead Of Prabhas The Raja Saab Release

Veteran actress Zarina Wahab, who will soon be seen in Prabhas’ upcoming Telugu film The Raja Saab, made candid observations about the changing nature of Hindi cinema while interacting with the press on Monday,

January 4. The actress attended a special event for the film in Mumbai and opened up about moving down south for work. Speaking during promotions, the actor said she believes family-oriented storytelling has largely disappeared from Bollywood while continuing to thrive in South Indian cinema.

Zarina Wahab opens up on choosing South cinema over Bollywood

She said, "I have been working in the industry for more than 40 years now. I am from Andhra, so I can speak good Telugu, much better than anybody else. Everybody kept asking me why I wasn’t working in Telugu films. I've worked in a few, but this film is bringing me more fame."She further mentioned, "People in Bombay ask me, why are you doing Telugu films? Hindi films main family mar gayi hai. There’s no family. Sirf South mai family abhi bhi zinda hai (The concept of family has died in Hindi; it’s only alive in the South). They produce such family-oriented films that people love to watch. I am currently working on 2-3 more Telugu movies."However, she also credited Bollywood for her long career, as she said, “I am very thankful to the Telugu industry now, and I was very, very thankful to the Hindi industry also.”

Professional front

Zarina Wahab has appeared in many films, such as Agar, Arth, and Dil Dhadakane Do, and later transitioned into character roles across multiple languages. Zarina Wahab is married to actor Aditya Pancholi and is the mother of actors Sooraj Pancholi and Sana Pancholi. Talking about The Raja Saab, the film also stars Sanjay Dutt, Boman Irani, Nidhhi Agerwal, Malavika Mohanan, Riddhi Kumar, and Zarina Wahab. In the film, a man searching for his missing grandfather finds himself in a mansion inhabited by a sinister presence.The film is set to release on January 9, 2026.